Headaches
by Saraswathi
Summary: What should have been in Lady Knight between Kel and Dom.
1. Of Meetings and Greetings

Headaches by Saraswathi  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter One: Of Meetings and Greetings  
  
~*~  
  
This fanfic is basically scenes and moments from Lady Knight that were added or rewritten by moi to add more Kel/Dom romance in the mix. Some scenes will be in Kel's point of view and some in Dom's.  
  
Pero si piensas que ellos son de mio, tu eres muy loco.  
  
~*~  
  
"Meathead!" a familiar voice cried out, clear above the murmur of voices. "They sent you out here with no keeper?"  
  
It took all of her Yamani calm to prevent Keladry of Mindelan from throwing herself at the speaker. It was only as she heard his voice again that she realized just how much she had missed the handsome sergeant. She looked enviously on as Neal hugged his cousin cheerfully, laughing.  
  
"What have you been doing?" Neal demanded, "Chasing mudhoppers?"  
  
"It's a skin treatment," Dom retorted, not missing a beat. "I've gotten so chapped her up north."  
  
A grin parted her lips as she discreetly studied the newcomer. Domitan of Masbolle seemed to have grown handsomer in the time she had been away, despite the fact that he was covered in mud. But there was a sparkle in his eyes, of hidden life and laughter, that showed how delighted he was to be in the action again.  
  
She was startled as the object of her inspection turned to her, flashing his famous grin. "Well, are you going to stand there staring all day, Lady Knight, or do I get a greeting?" Dom laughed.  
  
Her ears objected to hearing her formal title from his lips. "Only if you stop calling me Lady Knight," she retorted.  
  
"But of course, my lady," Dom teased. "Us at Third Company are simply proud that you made it. But we knew you would. After all, we taught you nearly everything."  
  
A laugh escaped her before she could stop it. It was only as she moved to embrace him that she realized her mistake. As commander, she had already been playful enough. It wouldn't do to relax her guard further and hug him like an old friend.  
  
Dom raised a quizzical eyebrow as she offered him her hand. As he took it firmly in his own, he murmured, "Now who's being formal?"  
  
Kel had to smile. "I have to maintain some dignity, as commander."  
  
"Congratulations," Dom grinned, her hand still clasped in his. The touch was sending shivers up her arm, making it tremble. "I'll have to claim a hug later then," he added, squeezing her hand briefly before releasing it.  
  
Before she could ask what he meant, he raised his voice. "How do you like your flag?"  
  
A river of emotions raced through Kel. "You made it?" she questioned, struggling to keep her voice steady.  
  
" 'Course," Dom said, studying her. "As soon as we heard who was in command, I had to."  
  
The ability to speak momentarily deserted Kel. The idea that he would care enough of her arrival, and sense her uncertainty about her fitness for this post, stunned her. "Thank you," she said, words soft and simple. "I love it."  
  
Dom smiled at her, a warm, melting grin that made a slight flush rise in her cheeks. "Anytime."  
  
The sound of someone clearing their throat brought them both back to their surroundings. Merric stood there, eyebrow cocked. "Sorry to interrupt, but can I have an introduction?"  
  
Kel blushed. "Merric, meet Sergeant Domitan of the Third Company. Dom, Sir Merric of Hollyrose."  
  
The two men shook hands as one of Dom's corporals summoned him over. Excusing himself, Dom headed over to help. Kel's glance followed him until she realized that Merric was watching her. The sly grin on his face did not disappear as they began the walk back to headquarters. "You seemed to know Sergeant Domitan very well."  
  
Kel fought the blush that wanted to stain her cheeks. "When I was Lord Raoul's squire, we became friends."  
  
Merric snorted softly at the last word. Kel glared at him. He gave her a wry smile and the two continued their walk untroubled by further talk of a certain sergeant.  
  
But that didn't mean that he wasn't thought about.  
  
~*~ 


	2. Of Curses and Carpentry

Headaches  
  
by Saraswathi  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter Two: Of Carpentry and Curses  
  
~*~  
  
As he stood on the ramparts, Domitan of Masbolle allowed the music of the camp to fade to a lull in the background. Sentry duty could not capture his attention span, especially not when she stood below him in the courtyard.  
  
His gaze slipped, yet again, to Kel's serious face. Gods! She must have some magnetic pull about her, to keep attracting his eyes this way. It wasn't as if he thought that way about her. Mithros, no! It was simply that his traitorous eyes kept wanting her to fill his vision.  
  
She looked tired, he mused, as if she hadn't been sleeping. He made a note to ask her about it. Other than that, she looked fine. More than fine, even, though she had never been pretty in the conventional sense. But she still had an aura about her, of calm collectedness that was rather compelling.  
  
Cursing himself, Dom smashed his fist against the railing with more force than he had intended to. It was simply that he hadn't seen her in so long, he reasoned. And his squad would be called away all too soon, to return to Raoul. But Kel needed him here; to fight for her, to make her smile and to defend her. The Goddess knew she needed someone here to help her. Someone besides his Meatheaded cousin. He grinned; Kel was showing remarkable patience in putting up with his cousin at all.  
  
But then, her determination never failed to astound him. Now that she was assigned to them, she would give her skin to these refugees. Refugees who had no idea how lucky they were. She would even put herself on carpentry duty for them, the one thing she was a disaster at.  
  
He grinned at the thought, then realized, with sudden shock, that it might not be all in jest. Kel was determined not to shirk any of the chores that the refugees were required to do. If that was so, he would have to see the carpenter. Haven did not have wood and nails to spare for injuring the hands of the commander.  
  
~*~  
  
The men of Dom's squad were rather at a loss as to why their commander was spying on carpenters. They were not to know that he was spying on a would-be carpenter in particular. The sergeant smirked to himself, watching Kel try to put herself on carpentry duty for the third day in a row. From her exasperated expression, she was demanding to know why. Dom couldn't help laughing as he watched the master carpenter tell her what he had said. The expression on his face was reward enough for what he had done.  
  
Kel spun around, all but stalking off. She glared up towards the walkway, only to meet the teasing grin he knew was growing on his face. Considering him for a few moments, she responded with a universally rude gesture. He pretended to wince, watching as she attempted to hide her smile.  
  
She turned away as a refugee approached her, immersing herself in camp life again. So Dom was surprised when she met him up on the ramparts a few minutes later.  
  
"Thanks a lot," she snapped, but he knew by her smile that she wasn't angry.  
  
"Your fingers will be grateful," he informed her.  
  
She grinned. "If you're looking for my thanks, keep dreaming, Sergeant."  
  
"It's fine, Kel. I know you're secretly grateful me," he assured her.  
  
She glared at him, a companionable silence falling over them as they both surveyed the camp below. He interrupted the pause first. "By the way, your speech last night was amazing. I didn't know that you could . . ." he paused, at a loss for words. "Do that," he finished eloquently.  
  
Kel chuckled, a sound that warmed him when it came from her lips. But she sobered quickly. Far too quickly, Dom thought. "Well, as I said, all I have to do is live up to it."  
  
The certainty that lit his eyes left no room for argument. "You will."  
  
She held his intense gaze for a long moment, her eyes captivating him. Eyes of a dreamer, veiled by elegant lashes, that captured colors in them like a prism. Dom counted seven different shades of cinnamon before her eyes flickered downward. He felt slightly dizzy.  
  
"I guess I'd better go," Kel told the floor, to break the silence.  
  
Dom nodded, but she had already turned and did not catch the movement. He returned to scanning the landscape, but he was blind to it. All he could see was her. He swore, trying to dispel the image. "Bloody hell." Chancing a glance along the ramparts at her, he saw that she had turned back to face him, wearing a grin.  
  
"Kel," he said, striding towards her before she could escape again. She raised her eyebrows. "I know you're taking your position seriously, but being commander doesn't mean you can't laugh once in a while."  
  
Several emotions played chase across her face. Then she gave him a sudden smile. "Well, with you around, that's not likely to happen." She spun and strode off before he could reply.  
  
Slowly he grinned. She was right. But then, she generally was. It was one of the things that he found so endearing about her.  
  
Dom stood rooted to the spot. "I did not just think that," he told himself. Without another word, he stalked away in the opposite direction.  
  
~*~ 


	3. Of Things Said and Unsaid

Headaches  
  
by Saraswathi  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter Three: Of Things Said and Unsaid  
  
~*~  
  
Kel ordered herself to get up. Her body, usually good about obeying her commands, flatly refused. She groaned softly, letting her head fall back onto the pillow.  
  
She supposed it was her own fault. After all, she had agreed to talk with the clerks last night. She simply hadn't thought that they would want to know every detail of Haven. But after all, they were making her life so much easier, she believed it was only fair to do the same to them.  
  
This, however, did not extend to them stealing her sleep.  
  
With a swift, unpremeditated movement, Kel finally slipped out of the covers, careful not to disturb the still-sleeping sparrows.  
  
Her body still exhausted, Kel stood shakily. As she splashed water over her face, she grumbled, "Why did I promise to see Dom's squad off?" The answer was one she didn't want to investigate too deeply, as it had less to do with the squad and more to do with the sergeant.  
  
"After all, if I'm willing to sacrifice my extra sleep for him . . ." She rinsed out her mouth, cutting off her last words. Due to the cold morning, she dressed swiftly, and at the last moment, ran a brush through her hair.  
  
Peering outside her tent, she discovered that fog had obscured everything, like a bridal veil. Heavy clouds covered the sky, while mist swirled about at the ground level. "Not a good omen," she muttered, then shook her head. She couldn't afford to become superstitious.  
  
Kel met the squad in front of the gates, where they stood with their horses at the ready. Dom, who had been tapping his foot impatiently, started to say something as soon as she approached, presumably about her tardy arrival.  
  
"Don't start," she warned him, covering a yawn with her hand. "Master Zamiel and the clerks kept me up half the night discussing logistics. Honestly, if I ever hear the word 'supply' again . . ."  
  
Dom grinned. "Missing your beauty sleep?"  
  
"Whether it's beautiful or not, it's still sleep," she observed.  
  
"I thought the sleep was too make you beautiful," he said, innocently.  
  
Kel narrowed her eyes. "In which case, I would be looking very ugly right about now."  
  
"You could never be ugly, Lady Keladry," Dom told her, bowing extravagantly.  
  
She knew that he wasn't serious, but she blushed anyway. "What's that music?" she asked, changing the subject.  
  
"I think Master Numair's casting a small spell," Dom said, frowning at something behind her.  
  
Glancing back, Kel saw that the words were a tremendous understatement. Rocks were flying through the air, as easily as ships on a calm sea. Not just pebbles, either, but majestic boulders. Kel shivered a little at the sight of such sheer power.  
  
"That must drain so much energy out of him," she almost whispered, filled with awe and a half longing for such strength.  
  
"Well, he does it because he wants to help you," Dom pointed out, an odd look in his eyes.  
  
Kel managed a smile. "Like your squad, which is why I wish you weren't leaving. You always back me up."  
  
"You'll be fine without me," Dom told her, as if trying to convince himself. "You always are."  
  
Kel frowned, not quite sure what he meant. "Yes, but it's easier when you're here."  
  
Dom looked as though he was going to say something. But instead, he closed his mouth and spun sharply around, swinging himself into the saddle. "Goodbye, Kel," he said, leaning down to grasp her hand warmly. "Good luck."  
  
Glancing around, Kel realized that the squad had discreetly moved away while she and Dom spoke. Wondering why, she answered, "Goodbye." She stared into Dom's blue eyes for a moment, trying to guess at what he was not telling her. But it was impossible to decipher. And in another moment, he had riden away, leaving Kel surrounded by words left unsaid.  
  
~*~ 


	4. Of Sleeping and Waking

Headaches by Saraswathi  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter Four: Of Sleeping and Waking  
  
~*~  
  
Dom didn't like the silence. The grim quiet indicated the fear that radiated from his men. They were afraid for themselves, but also afraid for Kel.  
  
Under his breath, Dom swore, though he knew that he shouldn't be surprised. It was so like Kel to run headlong into danger to save someone else.  
  
But he would have taken the same course of action, in her position.  
  
A far off memory claimed him. Lord Raoul, standing in front of him, ready to promote him to commander of the squad. "You would put your life before any of the people you lead, Dom," the Knight Commander had told him. "That's what will make you a good commander."  
  
A small smile had played around his lips, in spite of the tense situation. Almost from the moment he had met Kel, he had caught glimpses of a commander in her. Now, his foresight had been confirmed.  
  
Wolset was staring curiously at him. Hastily, Dom wiped the smile off his face. The silence resumed, more tangible than ever. Even the animals had an eerie quiet.  
  
He knew why. The path was surrounded by the spirits of the dead. He tried not to look, but his eyes were inexorably drawn to them. Anger filled him as he recognized refugees who he'd worked with and liked. In spite of himself, his eyes began to sting. He murmured a soft prayer for safe passage to the Realm of the Black God.  
  
Then, resolutely, he turned away. His men were looking at him. He knew what they were thinking. If they didn't reach her in time, Kel could very well suffer the same fate of the villagers.  
  
"Come on," he said, quietly.  
  
Dom didn't stop them to make camp, and they didn't even ask. When their horses grew tired, they replaced them. There were no more stops to bless the dead. All his energy was focused on finding Kel.  
  
She simply had to be all right.  
  
~*~  
  
When they finally did reach the lady knight, she was asleep, but unharmed. A wave of relief swept over Dom. Until then, he hadn't realize simply how worried he had been about her. It was strange how he had never known just how much he cared about her until she had thrown herself headlong into danger. It was a secret some court ladies would have died to learn, in order to discovered the passion that they believed all men hid for them. But he doubted that they would ever figure it out.  
  
Smiling to himself, he bent down to tuck a blanket around Kel. She stirred at his touch, murmuring something in her sleep. Dom watched her with a rare tenderness in his eyes. Quietly, so as not to wake her up, he turned back to his men.  
  
Dom caught the knowing look that was passing between them. Beyond a defiant glance, however, he ignored it. The squad picketed their horses, speaking with levity that proved that they, too had been worried. But their words were hushed, in honor of the ghosts of the dead that resided within the walls of Giantkiller.  
  
After camp had been set up, Dom settled down on his bedroll to catch some sleep. But as soon as he drifted off, he was awakened by a yell. He sprang up even before he was fully awake, running towards the sound. Kel was tossing, her blanket fallen to the side. A yell escaped her, just a single word.  
  
"Blayce!"  
  
Dom caught her hand in his, murmuring senseless, soothing words. Still she stirred, soft cries escaping her mouth. She seemed to be in the throes of her nightmare, from which nothing could release her.  
  
Meaning nothing but comfort, Dom wrapped his arms around her, rocking her gently in his arms. He would never have done it if she were conscious, but she looked so vulnerable in sleep. And she felt so warm and soft in his arms, surprisingly so for a woman who had spent the past few days riding in the cold of Scanra.  
  
Lost in the strange feelings sweeping over him, he didn't realize that she had calmed down and lay sleeping peacefully in his embrace. Gently, he eased her down to the ground, covering her again with a blanket.  
  
Then he returned to his own bedroll, but sleep did not come easily.  
  
~*~  
  
Dom was shaken roughly awake in the morning.  
  
"Sir?" Wolset asked, determining whether he was awake. Dom grunted in response. His corporal waved a plate of bacon under his nose, causing him to come awake at once.  
  
"What are you doing, lunkheads? Any Scanran will be able to find us within two minutes." But he took the plate of food, gratefully, and wolfed it down within seconds.  
  
"Forget the Scanrans," Wolset muttered, watching him. "You'll have eaten it all by the time they get here." The men exchanged grins.  
  
"Should we wake Kel?" Dom asked, through a mouthful of bacon.  
  
The men exchanged another look. Dom glared at them. If they were going to do that every time he so much as mentioned her, this was going to be a long trip. "Never mind, she probably needs all the sleep she can get." He stretched, then extended a hand for the bacon. "Give it here. I'll make some more."  
  
It was only once the oatcakes were cooking that Kel found them. Though his back was to her, Dom could tell she was annoyed. Her voice was harsh and angry. "What are you doing? Are you out of your minds?"  
  
[I'm sure you're one to talk,] Dom thought, but kept this insight to himself.  
  
Out loud, he commented, "We wondered if we should wake you, but your breakfast isn't done yet." Dom gave the bacon to Wolset, who began to eat it eagerly, and twisted to look Kel in the eye. She looked tired, angry and upset impartially, and his heart went out to her. "We figured you needed as much sleep as you could get," he added gently.  
  
"We haven't run mad, Lady Kel," Fulcher told her. "We're under orders. My lord sent us to do whatever you say needs doing."  
  
Dom resisted the urge to roll his eyes, as he feed Jump a scrap of bacon. Though Fulcher was a solid soldier, he definitely did not supply the brains of the squad.  
  
Kel seemed to be thinking the same thing. "My lord sent you. And you got here from Steadfast in, what, a day?"  
  
Wolset explained how the squad had been at Mastiff, but Kel remained stubborn. "You can't do this," she argued, still standing tall over them. "You don't know what I'm doing, the laws I'm breaking."  
  
Dom was rapidly tiring of her stubbornness. "Well, actually, we have a good idea," he told her. "Here, eat this before it gets cold. Which one of you hedge pigs has the honey pot?"  
  
She began to devour the food almost as eagerly as he had. Dom couldn't help but smile, watching her. Finished, she glanced up at him, catching his grin. Slowly, hesitantly, she smiled back at him.  
  
He thought he heard her say "Thank you," before she dug into her fifth oatcake.  
  
~*~ 


	5. Of Accusations and Explanations

Headaches by Saraswathi  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter Five: Accusations and Explanations  
  
~*~  
  
Amidst the confusion of clearing up and packing, Kel pulled Dom aside, determined not to let him off so easily.  
  
He gazed at her with an infuriating calm. "Yes?"  
  
"You want to explain?" she demanded.  
  
"What's left to tell?" he inquired, glancing up from consuming the last oatcake with a curious gaze.  
  
She ground her teeth. "How about why you disobeyed orders and abandoned my lord, not to mention putting yourself and your squad at risk?"  
  
Dom stared at her. "Why, Kel, that should be blatantly obvious."  
  
[Was he trying to provoke her?] Catching a glimpse of the grin he was struggling to surprise, Kel suspected so. "It isn't. Would you care to enlighten me as to why, or would that be too far below the reaches of your mental prowness?" she snapped.  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "For you, of course."  
  
That silenced her. "Oh," she said weakly. It was hardly the most intelligent comment that she had ever made, but then it wasn't every day that the man she had been harboring unresolved romantic feelings for admitted that he was risking his life for her. She couldn't look up at him.  
  
"Besides," he frowned, "we were under orders."  
  
Kel stared.  
  
"But even if we weren't, we still would have come," he continued. "After all, we're all volunteers."  
  
Kel had not believed that she could be further startled today. Dom's last comment proved this utterly incorrect.  
  
"Volunteers?" The word emerged from her mouth as a squeak.  
  
"Yes, didn't I tell you?" Dom replied innocently. "Every man here chose to come."  
  
He was enjoying this far too much.  
  
"No, you forgot to mention that particular detail," she said, through gritted teeth.  
  
[Remind me again why I missed him so horribly? He is a completely infuriating prat -]  
  
She spun to leave, but his large hand caught hers, preventing her.  
  
"Kel?" he said softly, forcing her to meet his gaze. "You're not angry?"  
  
[Never, with you.]  
  
"No, of course I'm not," she admitted, trying to ignore the fact that her hand felt perfectly right within his.  
  
He grinned in relief, releasing her hand. It was impossible to stay angry with him, she reflected, given that grin, but the fact that he had let go of her hand left her with a vague disappointment.  
  
With difficulty, she reapplied herself to the conversation. "-you owe me an explanation as well."  
  
"About what?" she queried.  
  
As always, he was refreshingly direct.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me you've been having nightmares about Blayce?"  
  
She stared. "How did you-?" Then she remembered her dream the previous night- and the strong, soothing presence that had driven it away.  
  
"Oh." She could feel herself blushing. "Um. Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome." His gaze did not waiver. "That's not an answer."  
  
Kel sighed, brushing her hair from her face in an attempt to stall for time. "It's not important."  
  
She could never have predicted his next words. "You don't always have to be so brave, Kel."  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked weakly, cursing herself as she said it for forgetting to be strong when he was near.  
  
"I'm here for you, too, you know. You don't always have to be there for other people."  
  
His gaze was too intense. She glanced down. "Oh, but I do, actually," she answered, her voice barely audible.  
  
Dom sighed, turning away from her to survey his men, nearly finished with dismantling the camp. "All right," he said, clearly unconvinced. "But if you want to talk . . ."  
  
Kel rubbed her forehead, sensing an approaching headache. He had given her too much to think about. "I'm fine, Dom," she insisted. "Really."  
  
Arching both his eyebrows, he gave her a look.  
  
"No, honestly," she repeated, a smile forming on her lips in spite of herself.  
  
"You're lying," Dom accused, grinning in return.  
  
Pretending to be outraged, Kel put her hands on her hips and demanded, "Are you calling me a liar?"  
  
He grinned. "Yes, I am, Lady Keladry. What're you going to do about it?"  
  
Kel glared at him. "Just for calling me a lady, I think I'll slap you."  
  
"No!" Dom pleaded. "Spare me. Please! I'll do anything-"  
  
He was cut short by a pointed cough from Wolset. "Sir, if you're finished, we're all ready to go." He gave the two of them a significant look, though Kel didn't want to look too deeply into his meaning.  
  
"Right," Dom replied, growing businesslike again. "Shall we go, my lady?" He offered Kel his arm.  
  
She eyed him suspiciously. "Thanks, but no thanks, Dom. I think I can mount Peachblossom by myself."  
  
Dom smiled. "I forget, you've been riding him since you were eleven."  
  
"You know me too well," Kel replied, without thinking, as she mounted her horse.  
  
Shadows seemed to darken his eyes. "Yes," he murmured softly.  
  
He rode ahead, leaving Kel with more than the approaching conflict to think about.  
  
~*~  
  
What Tamora Pierce does not own, whoever wrote The Parent Trap does. And what they don't own is all my own. Thanks for all the generous reviews, 'cause as with any author, I adore them. 


	6. Of Meatheads and Mouse Hunters

Headaches by Saraswathi  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter Six: Of Meatheads and Mouse-Hunters  
  
~*~  
  
The battle to liberate the refugees was completed all too soon. When Dom paused to consider it, the fact made him slightly sick, so he pushed it from his mind and concentrated on clearing up the effects of the battle.  
  
And wondering where the children had gone.  
  
Tobe had apparently been struck by the same thought, for he ran to Kel, crying, "Lady! Lady Kel, they ain't here. Loey and Meech and Gydo and them, they ain't here."  
  
In the midst of his fear for the children, Dom couldn't help but smile at the devotion Tobe had for Kel. It was almost like the relationship between a mother and a son, or a knight and a page.  
  
As he watched Kel sooth Tobe gently, the stray thought came to him. [She would make a good mother. She should be able to settle down and have children and teach them to fight with a glaive . . .]  
  
[Well, that's what she's fighting for, right? That's what we're all fighting for. So that we can have that kind of peace.]  
  
Dom shook his head. He was becoming far too philosophical for his own tastes.  
  
"Up the Pakaai." A refugee was informing Kel where the children had been taken. He had already guessed this, however, for scent and trail would be washed away upriver. And they were traveling towards Blayce. The thought made him shudder. He grasped his sword, tensing, waiting to see what his orders would be.  
  
"Everyone, collect weapons and food. You'll need them on your way back," Kel ordered.  
  
[Very funny, Kel. As if I'm going to let you go alone. Try no bloody way.]  
  
Neal appeared to have had the same thoughts. "You better tie me to my horse once I get this lot fit to ride," he informed Kel, gesturing to the refugees who needed healing.  
  
[Dammit. Neal got there first,] Dom thought with a wry grin.  
  
She put her hands on her hips, glaring at him in a way that reminded Dom so strongly of his aunt, he couldn't help laughing. "I want you to stay with them."  
  
"Not a chance," Neal snapped, taking his eyes from the refugees and looking straight at her, his green eyes serious for once.  
  
"They go without me," Dom broke in. [Damn, that just revealed to the entire camp what I feel about her.] Hastily, he added, "And my boys too. My orders were to stay with you." He looked at Kel, eyes as steady as they had been when they had spoken a few days ago. She glanced down, but not before he had caught the gratitude in her eyes.  
  
He handed his sword to Gil, who proclaimed, "We're stayin' too, me an' my squad."  
  
Fanche and Saefas agreed. Dom could see Kel rubbing her forehead. [And she thought she would go alone.]  
  
But Fanche and Saefas had to be one of the oddest pairings that he had heard of and when in a squad of the King's Own, all sorts of strange matches arose. He recalled how when his cousin was a squire, someone had suggested something about Neal and the Queen.  
  
The man had gotten a black eye for his futile attempt at matchmaking, courtesy Dom. Though Neal and he argued constantly, the Meathead was his favorite cousin and close friend, even if he had been occasionally jealous of the close relationship between him and Kel.  
  
Until Neal had been engaged, that was.  
  
Dom smiled, remembering what a stir that had caused in the family. He had stuck by Neal firmly, hoping for the same reward if he ever became engaged.  
  
Not likely, considering the small detail that members of the King's Own weren't allowed to get married. But still, maybe Kel . . .  
  
The sergeant shook his head at the way his thoughts were meandering aimlessly. Forcefully, he pointed them towards packing on their journey. As he started to gather up his saddlebags, a hiss from inside startled him.  
  
Gingerly, he pulled them open to reveal a cat, colored gray and orange, looking balefully up at him. Evidently, Dom had interrupted her nap.  
  
"Hey, kitty," he murmured soothingly, attempting to appease her in the tone he normally used for court ladies in hysterics. The cat simply hissed at him further, proving that she wasn't a court lady.  
  
[Probably one of the Queen's Own,] Dom mused, attempting to touch her. This strategy failed, as she left him with a deep scratch on his palm.  
  
His curse drew Kel over, looking amused despite the tense situation.  
  
"Problems, sergeant?"  
  
"You could say that," growled Dom, pointing to the kitten.  
  
"Hmm." Kel surveyed the cat, bending to try to pick it up. She received a warning hiss for her pains.  
  
"Glad to know it isn't just me," Dom quipped.  
  
Kel shrugged, her eyes dancing. "Maybe animals just don't like you."  
  
"Maybe she likes me so much she wants to stay," Dom shot back.  
  
"She would be the first lady to do so," his cousin drawled.  
  
Dom shot him a quenching look. "You're one to talk." He pointedly did not look at Kel, who was observing this exchange with interest.  
  
"Well, at least I am engaged," Neal pointed out. "And not harboring unrequited passion for ladies who I can't even tell-"  
  
"Meathead, why don't you shut up?" Dom snapped, feeling himself flushing. He hadn't known his cousin had realized what he felt about Kel.  
  
[And even if he has, does he have to go shouting it out right in front of her?]  
  
[Of course he does. He's the Meathead, remember?]  
  
"Domitan, why don't you find a new nickname for me?" his cousin retorted.  
  
He smiled sweetly. "But this one suits you so well."  
  
Neal scowled. "Shut up."  
  
"Nice comeback, Meathead."  
  
"I'm sure you've impressed Kel, sergeant."  
  
The lady knight, herself, meanwhile had dissolved into laughter. "You two are great," she smiled at them.  
  
Dom raised an eyebrow at Neal, who grinned at him, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "Sure, if you say so," he drawled.  
  
"As pleasant as this sudden feeling of goodwill from you is, don't you have work to do?" Dom asked.  
  
Neal smirked. "Not unless you count prying that cat off your bags." He sauntered off, still smirking.  
  
Recalling the feline, Dom glanced down and uttered a couple choice words.  
  
"Don't. You're burning Tobe's ears," Kel said, absently.  
  
Dom glanced over to where the boy was brushing Peachblossom. "I'll wager he know plenty worse," he said, softly.  
  
She glanced up. "Yes, I suppose." Sorrow had filled her tone.  
  
"Anyway," Dom said abruptly, changing the subject, "it seems as though the cat is here to stay." He was rewarded by Kel's small smile.  
  
He continued, "I make it a point never to argue with a lady, so I suppose she can stay."  
  
Kel choked with laughter. "And you never argue with me, right?"  
  
"I thought you didn't want to be called a lady," Dom shot back. "Besides, we don't argue. We discuss."  
  
Her lips curved into a full, warm smile. He forced himself to look away. He was not going to stare at her lips, especially not when that could cause dangerous thoughts . .  
  
"Ah, I see then." She rose. "Better leave the lady there, then."  
  
The cat rode in Dom's saddlebags the entire way.  
  
~*~  
  
I stole the line, "We don't argue. We discuss," from somewhere, but I can't remember where. Anyway, I don't think I own it.  
  
~*~ 


	7. Of Ear Burning and Eyebrow Raising

Headaches by Saraswathi  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter Seven: Of Ear Burning and Eyebrow Raising  
  
~*~  
  
Kel had stayed behind to spy on the Scanrans after the rest of the team had returned from harassing them. Nonchalantly munching on a piece of bread and cheese that Neal had cooked- or rather, burned, Dom pretended that he wasn't fretting about her safety. [Gods, if I'm like this when she's a few yards away from me, imagine what I'll be like when we're separated.]  
  
Aggravated by his own train of thought, he bit into his bread more forcefully than planned and ended up with a wound on his tongue.  
  
[Forget about the Scanrans killing me. If I don't end up perishing through my own clumsiness, I'll die because of unrequited love.]  
  
"Dammit, Keladry," he hissed at himself, vexed. "Stop turning me into a sap."  
  
His cousins' oh-so-welcome voice drawled, "Talking to yourself, cousin?"  
  
Dom transferred his glare to Neal. "No, I'm revealing trade secrets," he snapped, still irritated with the way that his cousin had revealed to Kel what he felt. Not that she seemed to have noticed, but still-  
  
His cousin snorted. "Well, it's not as though the entire camp doesn't already know. I just brought it to light, if you will."  
  
"You'll be real happy when I knock you out and you're in darkness," Dom said, without a trace of mirth. If anyone was to tell Kel, it should have been him and preferably someplace secluded.  
  
Neal glanced up, looking his cousin straight in the eye. "You're really serious about her, aren't you?" He said, evidently startled.  
  
The sergeant considered replying, but couldn't dream up a response that would be suitably sarcastic. As if he wasn't serious about Kel! Why, he had been attracted to her since the moment they had been introduced. Somewhere in that time, his feeling had deepened into lov-  
  
The grin on Neal's face screamed trouble and torture for fifteen centuries henceforth.  
  
"I knew it!" he crowed. "I just knew. I even had a bet-"  
  
"What?" Dom exploded. Noticing several refugees appearing more intrigued than he was really comfortable with, he hushed his voice, but the intensity did not decrease. "You bet on me and Kel?"  
  
At Neal's affirmative nod, he hunted in his brain for expletives suitable for the situation. "You Meathead!" he yelled at last, only not quite so mildly. In fact, his language was completely unsuited for the ears of Tobe, who was observing this exchange with a small half-smile.  
  
His cousin only grinned that wildly annoying grin, the one that had stolen away countless court ladies from potential rivals. Dom cursed them, their paramours and Neal impartially.  
  
"Does everyone try to make my life miserable?" he demanded, when he had regained some semblance of composure. "Is that it?"  
  
"Please," Kel's soft voice inquired, "do fill me in on what I've done."  
  
Dom stared at her with a look akin to the one he would have granted Stenum Kinslayer, had that slug just strolled into camp. [Is it just me or is this happening too much lately?]  
  
Neal, displaying tact that was rarely witnessed, handed Kel a piece of bread topped with cheese. "Dom and I were just having a philosophical discussion, my dear Keladry. Nothing for you to fret your pretty little head over."  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him, a sentiment Dom concurred with heartily. [So know that he knows what I feel about her, he decides to flirt with her?]  
  
All she said, however, as she gestured to the food, was, "Smoke?"  
  
"We used dry wood," Neal answered. Dom noted gratefully that the conversation had been steered away from him. "No smoke at all." He waved his hands with a flourish, indicating his own brilliance. Dom rolled his eyes expressively at Kel, whose lips quirked in the slightest smile.  
  
"Smell?" she continued.  
  
Saefas interjected, "The enemy was upwind. They'd have to be gods to smell it."  
  
[And they're far from gods,] Dom thought grimly. [Only cruel, pathetic mortals, who'll steal away children 'cause they're too cowardly to fight a real fight.]  
  
Kel was nodding in relief at the precautions they had taken, and Dom couldn't resist one last crack. "Mother gets so upset when she thinks we lads have been careless."  
  
She shot him a look from atop Hoshi. "If I'd been your mother, I'd have beaten you," she pronounced, grinning at him.  
  
Neal released a low whistle. A furious blush spread over Kel's face, no doubt because the comment had been understood in a way that she hadn't meant it.  
  
Apart from his continued vexation at Meathead, Dom couldn't help smiling at the blush on Kel's face. So he simply dropped Kel a bow and strolled of to pack, laughing.  
  
If he had set stock in omens, the Stormwings that circled lazily above them did not bode well for their journey. So Dom decided not to pay any attention to the signals and continue to carry out his mission.  
  
However, he did decide to warn Kel. Cautiously, so as not to startle her, he reached out and lightly touched her shoulder, allowing his hand to linger for somewhat longer than was really necessary.  
  
She swore softly as she glanced up at the sky and he felt himself grinning at her vocabulary. "Language, Keladry," he chided.  
  
She almost smiled, but whispered to him, "Just ignore them- for now."  
  
He nodded in agreement, inwardly marveling at her ability to make decisions as quickly as she wielded the glaive. That talent- to think on her toes- was a critical one in a commander and one that she had displayed time and time again.  
  
And so they waited. Dom decided that the worst part of battle was the waiting. When he was not dreaming of Kel, he was musing over the approaching fight. Were they even to win, they still had to face the consequences of their supposed betrayal.  
  
Though thinking of Kel was infinitely more pleasant, it remained frustrating as well. Completely bored, he attempted to compose poetry, but decided that the Meathead's lack of literary ability ran in the family.  
  
So, when he was the first to hear the crashing, he was relieved but it wasn't long before the scouting party returned, signaling that the enemy were down eighteen men. A grin split Dom's face. By taking out eighteen men, they'd shown Stenum that he really was a force to be reckoned with.  
  
He murmured as much to Kel, as much to speak with her as to boost her confidence, She pressed his hand lightly, thankful, before moving to emit further instructions. He studied her back- utterly fascinating, he knew- before shaking his head and returning to his work  
  
In truth, he really was amazed at how smoothly their mission was operating. Not that he was doubting Kel's ability- he never had, and wasn't about to being now- but they had carried a certain amount of fear with them into the middle of Scanra.  
  
But as they rode on, he felt that thrill of fear that he consistently experienced before a battle. Now the action would begin.  
  
~*~  
  
Something was wrong.  
  
Dom felt it from the moment he saw the camp. Easily two hundred Scanran soldiers bustled about below, and he spotted five mages. In all, it was a sight to having him shaking in his boots. But even as he traced the sign against evil on his chest, his gut insisted that it was not right.  
  
Gil, Neal and Owen were cursing and hissing in disbelief. When he glanced over at Kel, however, he realized that she, too, believed that something felt off. The griffin feather band slipped over her eyes, making him want to reach over and push it up. A light breeze ruffled through strays wisps of her hair, letting them fly.  
  
And it hit him. When he glanced back at the camp, his brows knit, he saw it.  
  
[The banners don't flap,] he thought numbly, forcing the words out aloud even as he thought it.  
  
Studying me, Kel announced, "It's an illusion, lads. Just a village down there." She fingered the griffin feather band- the properties of which, Dom had discovered while Kel had raised her griffin, rendered the wearer able to see through illusions. He realized that she was right, readying himself to stand.  
  
There were protests from the other members, but Kel insisted, "It's a very good illusion." She tried to stand, but did not get far before the Meathead dragged her down.  
  
"Are you mad?" he rasped out.  
  
"No, but you are," Dom hissed from his other side.  
  
Neal ignored him. "I can see their mages!" He insisted fervently.  
  
Kel appeared completely frustrated and Dom couldn't blame her. As long as Neal had known the lady knight, Dom would have thought that his cousin would trust her judgment by now. Goddess knew that he himself did, and he hadn't known her nearly as long. Were Neal not his friend and cousin, he might have hit him.  
  
The lady knight pressed the feathers against his forehead and Dom had the satisfaction of watching his cousin turn crimson. "Oh."  
  
Smirking, Dom made a mental note of the moment- fully intending to utilize it in taking Neal down a notch during their next argument.  
  
Desperately attempting to climb out of the hole he had dug, Neal muttered, "Well, it's the best illusion I've ever seen."  
  
Dom smirked more. There were certain moments that one simply had to cherish and this one was high on the list. He met Kel's eyes, grinning wildly, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.  
  
He studied the griffin feather band that was responsible for the moment, pensively. "Almost makes it worthwhile to raid a nest."  
  
"I wouldn't if I were you," Kel warned him. "They're nasty beasts."  
  
Even with Neal vanquished, Owen selected this moment to express his doubts as well. The sergeant considered knocking down the lot of them, but decided against it. Besides, Kel could handle this one on her own.  
  
"Since I don't want to jam this curst itchy thing on every one of your heads, you'll just have to trust me," she snapped. "While we pick our noses, the quarry's getting away and we still have a village to worry about!"  
  
Fanche, who'd been silent until then, broke in, "There's a village?"  
  
Now driven to distraction, Kel began to pound her forehead with her fists. Dom, who was now next to her, gently reached out and pulled her arm down. As she looked at him with wide eyes, he teased the feathers from her fingers and laid it against his own forehead.  
  
Even as he surveyed the village, his focus was not on the view, but on the look Kel had given him even at the barest of contact.  
  
~*~ 


	8. Of Faith and Feelings

Headaches by Saraswathi  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter Eight: Of Faith and Feelings  
  
~*~  
  
More than anything, her deepest desire was to be alone. There were scant minutes before she went to meet Blayce the Gallan. Kel knew that she was doing the right thing- moreover, she knew that she had no choice. But it was hard to take the glances of mingled awe and pity that she saw wherever she looked.  
  
It wasn't as if she thought she would survive. That stage Kel hadn't even thought about. Her single mission in life now was to defeat him and she would deal with everything after. All the complications.  
  
According to that rule, Kel had pushed away all her feelings for a certain sergeant, schooling her emotions as she had been taught years ago by the Yamanis. That he harbored no feelings for her, as she had sometimes suspected- or rather hoped, was proved true. For if there was ever a time for a confession of love, it would be right before the woman headed for a confrontation that might mean her life.  
  
Admittedly, the woman was not quite sane, but that was a given for a girl who had put herself through the training to be a knight as the only female. Or so Dom would have told her.  
  
She invented some new curses to celebrate the fact that the sergeant kept reappearing in her mind. Finally, she resigned herself to it. At least these thoughts kept her from thinking endlessly about Blayce.  
  
And it focused her somewhat. So she might as well keep thinking of him.  
  
Even though it looked like she would keep thinking of him whether she wanted to or not. And she didn't want to. Because he wasn't in love with her.  
  
And that was that.  
  
It struck Kel that she was making very little sense. Her thoughts seemed to be meandering in a circular pattern, studiously avoiding whatever point they were supposed to make their way towards.  
  
[Too bad,] she thought stubbornly, not sure who she was thinking to.  
  
"This is ridiculous," she announced aloud, startling Jump, who was obediently trotting beside her feet. "I have to do something. Maybe glaive practice?"  
  
"Or you could go torture Meathead some more- that's always fun," a voice suggested from behind her. She spun around and desperately attempted to keep herself from breaking into a warm smile. Even when she was at her most low, Dom seemed to have a gift for cheering her up.  
  
"That too," she agreed, nodding.  
  
"Or," he suggested, "you could just stay here and talk with me."  
  
She kept her face calm, hoping that her sudden urge to leap up and embrace everyone in sight didn't show. "That sounds good," she said, carefully. Hastily, she added, "Seeing as I don't really feel like finding Meathead right now."  
  
[And seeing as you're smiling at me like that,] she added, but did not voice aloud.  
  
"So," he said, settling comfortably against a tree. "How are you, Lady Keladry? Lovely weather we've been having recently." He mimicked a courtier's manner of speaking, complete with hand flourishes.  
  
She couldn't help laughing. "Yes, Sergeant Domitan," she replied teasingly, "The weather's been beautiful and I'm feeling so much better now that you've graced me with your presence."  
  
Dom's eyebrows were in danger of disappearing into his hairline. "Mithros, Kel, are you sure that you weren't a court lady in your past life? I've could have sworn you were flirting with me there."  
  
She knew her face was on fire and only prayed that the falling darkness would shield it from view.  
  
"Sorry- I know you weren't," he muttered, seeming to think that she was angry.  
  
Hurriedly, she added, "No, no! I wasn't upset," then promptly blushed more furiously, realizing what she said.  
  
Though flushed too, he grinned at her. "Oh, good. I'd hate for you to be angry with me." He paused suddenly, biting his lip, looking unsure whether to go on. At last he added, "Especially when you're off to meet Blayce the Not-So-Gallant and all."  
  
Kel's good mood faded. "Yes, indeed."  
  
Dom caught the change in her mood immediately, for he again apologized, "Sorry. I seem to be putting my foot in my mouth often today."  
  
Without thinking, Kel said, "Well, you do it less often than the rest of us, so that's all right."  
  
"Oh, come on, Kel. As if you ever put your foot in your mouth," he protested.  
  
Kel had finally figured out the problem with him. He was simply too nice. It made her melt. She had to stop him and the only way to do that was argue. "I do," she retorted.  
  
"Yes? When?" he challenged.  
  
Her stubborn mind refused to come up with any instances at that particular moment. "I don't know," she admitted. "But I do," she added, somewhat lamely.  
  
"Sure." She couldn't see him, but she knew that he was grinning.  
  
"Oh, be quiet," she retorted.  
  
Innocently, he replied, "I didn't say anything."  
  
"Sure," she deadpanned.  
  
He was laughing. "Now you sound like me."  
  
She shrugged, smiling herself, "What can I say? You're a bad influence, Dom."  
  
He rose gracefully to his feet and swept her a bow. "Why, thank you, Lady Keladry."  
  
"Stop calling me that."  
  
"As you wish, milady," he murmured, catching her hand and bending his head over it in the proper Court manner. Kel knew that he was doing it all to hide his smile.  
  
"You're too much," she said, without thinking.  
  
"That's twice you've complimented me in a row." He peered anxiously at her. "Are you sure you're well?"  
  
She was quite sure laughing this hard wasn't healthy for someone about to meet their death. "No, I'm actually not feeling all that well," she admitted, without thinking. Seeing the rueful expression on his face, she cursed herself mentally. [I used to be the strong one, always there for people, never saying the wrong thing. Now, suddenly, I choose to blurt out what's on my mind and it has to be to him.]  
  
"But, thanks to you," she added, hoping to make amends, "I'm feeling far better." His answering smile was comforting and warm, liking drinking a mug of the highly prized hot chocolate.  
  
They sat in silence for a few moments, Kel reflecting that he was one of the few people who she could be silent with and not feel awkward about it.  
  
He finally broke the silence by voicing a request, "I wish I could go with you."  
  
She met his eyes squarely. They both knew that he had to command the troops. "I wish you could too."  
  
He rose, reaching for her hand and drew her to her feet. A silent understanding passed between them. No words were necessary- they both understood. He reached for her slowly, as if in a dream, then at the last moment, he dropped his hand, turning away.  
  
She stood, mute with disappointment, staring at his closed back. But, as swiftly as the Emperor's armsmistress with a glaive, he closed the distance between them in two large strides and crushed her in a warm embrace.  
  
And there, within his arms, was where Kel knew that she should have been all along.  
  
~*~ 


	9. Of Acceptance and Admissions

~~~  
  
Chapter Nine: Of Acceptance and Admissions  
  
~~~  
  
Sergeant Domitan hadn't even realized that he was chafing until his cousin hissed, "Would you stop that?"  
  
Distractedly, Dom turned his head. "What?"  
  
"Stop fidgeting," Neal snapped. "As if we're not all nervous enough already!" As if in agreement, his horse shifted his weight beneath him.  
  
Dom cursed himself inwardly. As commander, he had to remain calm and focused. His men were taking their cues from him. If he appeared nervous, nothing would be done for their confidence.  
  
Then again, there was very little to be confident about. At any moment this whole attack could come crashing down on their heads. For he and his men, well, they had chosen this life. But the refugees and the children, they deserved to live. It wasn't their fault that they had been caught up in this conflict. He had to make sure they all made it out of this mess all right.  
  
This was not helping. Dom forced his thoughts in another direction. Instantly, Kel flashed through his mind's eye. How perfect she had felt in his arms, his chin resting on her head. The intoxicating smell of her hair, tantalizing him. Her adorable confusion as she had drawn away after what seemed like an eternity, utterly flustered with all traces of her Yamani mask gone.  
  
He wondered why it was that only now, while she was heading into a fight that could very possibly take her life, that he had realized he loved her. Hopefully, Sakuyo was having a good laugh over this one, because it wasn't doing anything for Dom's state of mind. Well, as long as they both survived this relatively unscathed, he was going to tell her. He was not going to let this slip away.  
  
If she survived.  
  
All right. These thoughts were definitely not helping him at all. Think of something, Dom pleaded with himself. Anything! He was going to go crazy with waiting. While he sat here fretting, his lady knight and her band of refugees could already have been captured. Perhaps even now, Maggur was leering in Kel's face, taunting her, as she sat with her face as stone.  
  
Shut up, he commanded himself. Meathead over there has the imagination, not you. Everything is fine. Fine. So think about something else.  
  
The voice of the tutor that he and Neal had shared for years echoed through his head. [The average rainfall in the Great Southern Desert is six inches during the winter.]  
  
He shook his head, murmuring, "Great Mithros, I have finally gone mad."  
  
A short laugh sounded from his right. "You know, I would make a sarcastic comment, but I can't even think of one right now," his cousin said, with weary amusement.  
  
A grin parted Dom's lips. "Did the world just stop spinning? Meathead doesn't have a sarcastic comment?"  
  
"Oh, shut it," Neal scowled. He leaned closer, so that the other men couldn't hear, and continued, "You're worried about her too. Admit it."  
  
Dom nodded almost imperceptibly, the sparkle leaving his eyes. His cousin studied him. His next question hit Dom out of the blue. "Do you really love her?"  
  
The sergeant heard that, all right. Momentarily, it flashed across his mind to answer with a "What?" He could pretend that he hadn't heard the question and keep avoiding the emotions that he had been dancing around for years. Or he could realize that this was the time for acceptance.  
  
He turned to look his cousin straight in the eye. "Yes," he said quietly.  
  
Neal nodded. "Good. She needs that."  
  
Dom hesitated. "Do you think she-?" He couldn't continue, but his cousin knew what he meant.  
  
"Yes," Neal replied.  
  
Dom turned back to look at the fortress ahead, trying to conceal a foolish grin. Despite himself, elation welled within him. He supressed them, knowing that Neal could be completely off the mark. But it was impossible for him not to hope at least a little, especially right now, when hope was so scarce.  
  
He clapped his cousin on the shoulder in gratitude. Feeling that he was becoming too emotional for his own tastes, he added provocatively, "Thanks, Meathead."  
  
As Dom had hoped, Neal yelped with outrage. "Dom, if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times-"  
  
"Shush, Meathead," Dom said serenely as his men looked around with wide grins on their faces . "You'll alert the Scanrans to our presence."  
  
Neal shut up, still fuming, as Dom grinned himself. There was nothing like some good old Meathead torture.  
  
Unless it was finding out that Kel loved him back.  
  
He heard the gates creak, cutting short his reverie. A moment later, the doors opened, punctuated by the breaking of two tables. The battle had begun.  
  
Dom fought, with the clear coldness that fell on him during battle. Seeing two men run out of the barracks towards Kel, he rode them down, sword flashing. Though he knew he should feel pity, he could feel only disgust for the men who stole and killed innocent children for their own power.  
  
At Kel's cry of "Dom! Behind you!" he spun around, to fend off a massive man with an ax coming straight at him. Wheeling his mare to the right, he feinted, then unhorsed another swordsman, Trickster finishing him off. Already, he could feel the tide turning. Victory was in their sight!  
  
Kel seemed to feel it too. "Neal," she called. "I'm going to find Blayce."  
  
Neal, occupied with healing Gil, nodded absently, but fear struck Dom. Quickly, he rode towards her, cutting down a Scanran who dared challenge him. "Kel," he called.  
  
She turned, almost reluctantly, he thought. "Yes, Sergeant?" she inquired, plainly trying to remind him as well as herself that he had a job to do.  
  
"Kel, you can't," Dom implored, reining his horse in beside hers. He stopped there, unable to put his feelings into words.  
  
Her eyes were determined. "I have to." Seeing his next request, she forestalled it. "You can't come with me. You're commander if I don't make it back.  
  
He knew there was no use in trying to dissuade her. If he had learned anything about Keladry of Mindelan, it was that when she determined to do something, she did it.  
  
He wanted to tell her some of what was in his heart, but he didn't know how to say it. Finally, he settled for, "If you get yourself killed, I'll never forgive you."  
  
She managed a smile and nodded hard. He could see her eyes glistening. Abruptly, she wheeled around and rode towards the innards of the fortress.  
  
Sighing, Dom shook sweaty hair out of his eyes. "I hope she makes it back all right," he told no one in particular, before plunging back into the battle.  
  
Everything was finished soon. Supporting his exhausted cousin, who as usual had tired himself out with healing, Dom looked around. His men were dragging away the dead bodies. Fanche was bandaging a stubborn Saefas, while Tobe and Loesia coaxed castle horses into submission.  
  
Dom looked at his cousin, who was dead white. Worriedly, he forced Neal to choke down some water. His cousin waved him off, gasping, "Go find Kel."  
  
Dom couldn't deny that he was tempted to do just that. "Don't be ridiculous. You can't even stand."  
  
"I'll be fine," rasped Neal. "Just go. She needs you."  
  
"All right." Dom handed him the water skin. "Drink," he ordered his cousin and ran off. He found Kel a few moments later, leaning against the wall, out cold. For a horrible instant, he thought she had been killed. Then, observing the rise and fall of her chest, he knew she would be all right. She needed a healer, though, and neither she nor Neal were in a fit state to walk.  
  
Bending beside her, he gently wrapped her in his arms and hoisted her up, grunting a little under her weight. Her eyelids fluttered open despite his best efforts. "Dom?" she said hazily.  
  
"Yes," he said softly, resisting the urge to bend down and kiss her. She looked oddly vulnerable in the dim light. "Did you finish him off?"  
  
She nodded weakly before collapsing back into her faint. A surge of relief filled Dom, coupled with worry for his lady knight. Staggering, he carried her outside. Tobe and Fanche met him there. If they felt surprise at seeing their lady knight in such a compromising position, they said nothing. Tobe prepared a pallet out of blankets for her to lie on. With painstaking care, he lowered her down and tugged another blanket over her.  
  
Dom wasn't aware that he was staring at her until Tobe tapped his shoulder. "Don't worry, Sergeant Dom. She'll be all right."  
  
Dom nodded. He considered calling Neal, but then thought better of it. His cousin was half dead already, and Kel just needed a bandage. He tore some linen from his tunic, then briskly wrapped her wound. She stirred, but did not awaken. He studied her, lost in thought, until he was finally pulled away to assist with the other wounded.  
  
He and his men had nearly finished building a funeral pyre when he caught movement in the corner of his eye. Turning, Dom found Kel struggling to sit up. Abandoning his task, he went to her, not without a great sense of relief that she was finally conscious. If he really had had to take command of this group, with her gone- He forestalled this thought.  
  
"Hey," he greeted the lady knight, crouching down beside her. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Like hell," she croaked, as he helped her to sit up. Typically, her first questions were for her people. "Saefas?"  
  
Dom pointed to where Fanche was helping the trapper onto a horse. Catching sight of another survivor, he grinned again. "Look who else made it through," he murmured to Kel. Their orange and gray feline friend, the one who had ridden in Dom's saddlebags, sauntered towards them. Kel smiled and the sight was like rain after a drought for Dom.  
  
"The ladies-" she croaked, and couldn't go on. Quickly, he handed her his water bottle. She took a swig, finishing, "The ladies love you." He grinned.  
  
Her eyes turned serious. "Dom, I-"  
  
"Lady Kel!" Tobe, noticing that Kel had recovered, raced forward. "You're awake!"  
  
Dom, who had always been quite fond of the boy, couldn't help feeling a surge of annoyance at being interrupted at this interesting time. And he couldn't help wondering what Kel had wanted to say to him and whether they were ever going to get a chance to talk without being interrupted.  
  
~~~ 


	10. Of Conversations and Kisses

~~~  
  
Chapter Ten: Of Conversations and Kisses  
  
~~~  
  
"We're due to land on shore in about twenty minutes, Protector of the Small."  
  
Kel emerged from her daze and smiled involuntarily at the sergeant.  
  
"If you call me Protector of the Small again, I really will punch you," she told Dom, moving over so that he could lean beside her on the railing, looking out over the sea.  
  
"I'll have to risk it." The sergeant flashed her a dazzling grin that made her heart turn over.  
  
Dom certainly seemed to have regained his usual good spirits since they had set off for home. Kel thought that the opposite was true of herself. The closer to Tortall they draw, the more moody and contemplative she felt. Her mood was only lightened whenever she was with him.  
  
She chanced a look upward and found him studying her intently. Blushing at his gaze, she glanced down again.  
  
Am I ever going to be able to tell him how I feel about him? she wondered. Not very likely.  
  
It was incredible. She had faced down Stenum, Blayce and his killing devices. Still, she couldn't muster up enough courage to tell Dom that she loved him, something most court ladies, who shrieked at a spider, were able to do. Maybe there was more to some of the women at court than met the eye.  
  
She thought about this. Then again, probably not.  
  
"Earth to Keladry." Dom waved a hand in front of her eyes.  
  
"Sorry." Kel returned to the present. "I was thinking."  
  
"Undoubtedly," Dom drawled, sounding exactly like his cousin. "May I venture to inquire what about?"  
  
You, Kel thought. "Court ladies," she said aloud.  
  
The lie was worth the expression of Dom's face. "Mithros, Kel, why on earth were you thinking about them?" he spluttered.  
  
Kel shrugged, enjoying his reaction. "It keeps me from thinking about other things."  
  
Understanding dawned on Dom's face. "Oh," he said quietly. He paused for a moment, then said, in the same soft tone. "You are worried." The words were a statement, not a question.  
  
Kel felt like kicking herself. She hadn't meant to bring it up. "Not really."  
  
Dom's eyebrows flew up. "All right," she admitted, a small smile gracing her features. "I am a little worried."  
  
He sighed, taking her hand in his. Warmth spread from her hand up through her body, flushing her face in spite of the cool sea breeze. She fought to keep her emotions under control. "Kel, do you really think your supporters will abandon you?"  
  
"My supporters came with me to Scanra," Kel pointed out, looking out over the waves so that she wouldn't have to meet his eyes.  
  
"I mean your supporters at court. Raoul, Buri, Alanna, even the King and Queen." He looked at her intently. "And what about your friends? You have friends who would die for you, Keladry." He rarely used her full name, and it sounded impressively serious coming from his lips. "Including me." She stared at him. "You underestimate us, Kel. Have a little faith."  
  
His blue eyes were too intense. She looked away. As if from far away she heard her voice saying, "I do have faith in you."  
  
She felt as if she were drowning in his eyes. She was never sure who moved towards the other first, but her lips met his and they kissed, first tentatively, then more warmly. As Dom slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, Kel forgot that Neal might see them, forgot that she was a traitor, forgot everything.  
  
"Dom?" Neal's voice echoed through the ship. "Where in Mithros' name are you? I need you. We're landing in seven minutes!"  
  
Reluctantly, Dom drew away. "Damn him," he whispered, staring at Kel as if in a daze.  
  
"Dom!" Neal shouted.  
  
"I'm coming," Dom yelled back. With a final, searching glance at Kel, he left to find his cousin.  
  
Kel, stunned, stared back over the water. But she could find no answers there.  
  
~~~  
  
It was only later, as they were setting up camp, that Kel got a chance to really consider what had happened. The morning felt so surreal. From being kissed by Dom to being granted reprieve by Lord Wyldon! It was so strange. Perhaps she hadn't woken up this morning, perhaps she was still dreaming.  
  
She glanced around at the swearing soldiers, struggling to put up tents with the children running underfoot. If so, it was the most realistic dream she'd ever had.  
  
Sighing, she began to set up her own tent, somewhat away from the rest of the camp. She wanted some quiet, and the stares she kept getting were doing nothing for her peace of mind. She cursed as she attempted to shove a pole through loops in the tent. Hands gently took it from her, saying, "Let me help."  
  
As she nursed her sore fingers, Neal efficiently set up the rest of the tent. "You've gotten much better at that," she remarked, remembering one time when they were pages when Neal had to set up his tent ten times before Lord Wyldon was satisfied. "Not that that's saying much," she added.  
  
Neal gave her a sour look. "Thanks a lot, Lady Keladry. Just after I helped you, too."  
  
"Anytime," Kel smiled.  
  
"I don't know where you got that sarcastic streak from," her friend continued. "Must be that mad cousin of mine."  
  
Kel fought the blush that spread up her face just at the mere mention of Dom.  
  
Neal noticed, however. "Oh," he said knowingly. "That's it, is it?"  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kel said, with all the dignity that she could muster. Considering her turbulent feelings at the moment, it wasn't much.  
  
"Come on, Kel," Neal snorted. "You two barely even looked at each other all day, let alone talked. And if by some accident you did, you would just blush and look away again."  
  
Kel chose to ignore this.  
  
Her friend lowered his voice. "Kel, you can tell me."  
  
She looked at him and sighed. She could tell him. He was her best friend, after all. He'd seen her through her page years and had supported her when no one else did.  
  
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "He kissed me."  
  
It was easier to say than she had thought. When she opened her eyes, she found Neal staring at her. Then he let out a whoop and began to perform a strange victory dance on the spot, not seeming at all perturbed by the stares he was receiving from everyone else. Kel was glad of the distance between her tent and the rest of the camp.  
  
"Well, about time," her best friend declared, when he had stopped dancing like a maniac and managed to catch his breath at last.  
  
Kel blinked. That was not precisely the reaction she had expected.  
  
"Is that all you have to say?" she demanded.  
  
When Neal grinned, he looked remarkably like his cousin. "Well, what do you want me to say?" he asked.  
  
That floored Kel. "Well, what did it mean?" she asked desperately.  
  
Neal stopped short. "What, didn't he tell you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"And you haven't figured it out yet?"  
  
Kel's patience was wearing thin. "Neal, what are you talking about?"  
  
But her friend shook his head. "No, if he didn't tell you, I can't tell you either. Ask him!"  
  
"Neal!" Kel cried. She couldn't believe this. Her friend had to take the notion to be particularly stubborn now. "I can't just ask him."  
  
"Well, I can't just tell you," Neal was at his most infuriating. He strolled off in the direction of the camp, adding over his shoulder, "Just talk to Dom."  
  
Kel slumped down on her pallet, her head in her hands, completely baffled by the way everyone was behaving. Jump nuzzled her questioningly. She parted her fingers to study him. "Life used to be simple," she told him wistfully.  
  
The dog dragged a pillow over for her. She took it from him, beginning to laugh.  
  
"No, life was never simple." She paused. "But it might have been slightly less complicated at one point."  
  
~~~ 


	11. Of Apprehensions and Conclusions

~~~  
  
Chapter Eleven: Of Apprehensions and Conclusions  
  
~~~  
  
Kel swung herself into Hoshi's saddle, taking a last look around as she did so.  
  
"Will you get going?" Fanche asked, her rough voice filled with amusement. "If you don't leave, you'll talk yourself into staying."  
  
Kel grinned. "No, I'm just sure I've forgotten something."  
  
"Sir Nealan?" Tobe suggested, riding up behind her. Loesia led Neal's horse on his right. Kel and Fanche both laughed.  
  
"I wish we could," Kel quipped. "He'll be an insufferable companion on the ride to Steadfast. Completely desperate to see his betrothed, Lady Yukimi."  
  
"Your sergeant is at Steadfast too, isn't he?" Fanche remarked slyly.  
  
"He's not my sergeant," Kel argued, suddenly aware of Tobe and Loesia, who were listening with interest.  
  
"Really?" drawled Fanche.  
  
"Yes," Kel said firmly, but her blush betrayed her.  
  
Fanche took a step towards Hoshi, so that only Kel could hear her. "You take my advice, girl. Take him, before it's too late. You won't find many like him." The woman paused. "And you need him."  
  
The lady knight had no answer to that. Fortunately, she didn't have to come up with one, as Neal arrived in that instant. "I'm sorry I'm late." He threw himself onto the saddle. "Shall we go?" He ignored the dirty looks that Tobe and Kel shot him as they nudged their horses, beginning their ride.  
  
"Slow down, Sir Nealan," Kel teased, as they rode through the gate. "A little eager, are you?"  
  
Neal shot her a look as he slowed his pace marginally. "Well, you're in a better mood than I've seen you in for months." He raised his eyebrows. "Excited about seeing a certain cousin of mine?"  
  
"You're one to talk," Kel retorted. "You've been mooning over Yuki for the last week straight." Her friend flushed and subsided.  
  
She was finally becoming resigned to the constant teasing about Dom. It would be easier, however, if she had any idea how he was going to receive her when she arrived at Steadfast. She hadn't had a chance to speak with him before he and his squad had left for the fort, at Lord Raoul's command. However, he had never been far from her thoughts, especially not that confusing- and wonderful- kiss.  
  
"Lady?" Tobe's voice roused her from her musing.  
  
Kel looked at him, hoping that he didn't suspected where her musings had wandered to. "Yes?"  
  
"Sir Nealan's getting ahead,." He pointed to where Neal was galloping wildly towards the fort.  
  
"Well," Kel laughed. She thought it might have been first time she'd laughed since Dom had left. "We can't have that, can we?"  
  
She nudged Hoshi into a gallop.  
  
~~~  
  
"Sir! Small party coming in from the east, two- no, three riders!"  
  
Dom, who had been pacing the ramparts as had been his habit for the past week, whipped around and snatched the spyglass from his surprised subordinate. Peering eagerly through it, he finally saw the very party that he had been waiting for. As he caught sight of Kel, her short hair flying in wind, his hear began to pound uncontrollably.  
  
"Right," Dom said, attempting to keep his voice steady. "That'd be my cousin's party."  
  
He thought he heard one of his men mutter teasingly, "Oh, and I'm sure the cousin is the attraction," and quiet laughter. Dom, however, chose to ignore this side comment. It wasn't as if he hadn't heard enough of them from his men, his friends and even his family. But none of this was important any longer. For he knew that today, he would have his answer about Kel, the reason he had been waiting up on the ramparts for all these days.  
  
Shouting orders to his troops, Dom walked down the steps to the courtyard. However, instead of stopping in the courtyard to welcome the travelers, he strolled passed the gates and towards the buildings were the nobles were housed. He knew that there was probably only one other person in the whole of Steadfast that was anticipating the arrival of this party as much as he was, and he wanted to inform her of their eminent approach.  
  
Dom knocked on the door of one building with the familiarity of a budding friendship and was bid to enter. He opened the door and smiled reassuringly at the Yamani Lady inside. "Yuki? They're nearly here."  
  
Though possessed of extraordinary Yamini calm, Yuki let out a gasp of joy, before hastily rising and tying her kimono more securely around her waist. "Neal is here?" she asked, her dark eyes spilling over with excitement.  
  
"Nearly," Dom smiled at her. He offered her his arm. "Come on. Let's go."  
  
Dom had made an purposeful effort to get to know his cousin's betrothed, for he was far closer to Neal than their banter suggested. Yuki seemed to understand the gesture, and had gracefully reciprocated his interest. However, now neither of them spoke, though Yuki gripped Dom's arm tightly. As the two returned to the courtyard, they found the men opening the gates already. Dom's heart was beating so fiercely that he was sure his cousin's betrothed could hear it.  
  
In a blur of motion, the three riders thundered into the courtyard, and before Dom could blink, Neal had slid off his horse, instantly looking around for his betrothed.  
  
Dom heard Yuki let out a cry of, "Neal!" before she abandoned all of her Yamani calm and ran to him. His cousin caught her up in his arms and embraced her fiercely. Watching them, Dom couldn't help smiling, but he couldn't forget the other matter on his mind, namely, the stunning lady knight who was currently dismounting from her stubborn mount.  
  
Dom turned to her, to find her looking straight at him with a slight smile. "Dom," she greeted him softly, appearing uncertain about how he would receive her.  
  
Without any conscious thought, Dom went to her and took her hands in his. "Kel." He knew that he was probably smiling like a fool, but he honestly couldn't help it. "It's so good to see you again."  
  
Kel glanced down at their joined hands, then back up into his eyes. "It's good to see you too," she managed.  
  
Suddenly conscious that there were other people in the world besides the two of them, Dom released her hand. "Come on," he said softly. He wanted to talk to her, kiss her, hold her hand again- anything, but certainly not here. "I'll show you were you're supposed to stay."  
  
Silence fell between them as he led her inside. Dom had no idea to introduce the subject foremost on his mind; namely, how she felt about him. And he had no desire to fill the silence with petty conversation when he really just wanted to take her in his arms.  
  
"So," Kel broke the quiet as they walked through the hallways. "How have you been?"  
  
"What?" Dom asked, distractedly. He had no clear idea of where he was going or what he was doing. Sensing Kel's presence beside him was too intoxicating and agonizing. "Oh, I'm sorry. I've been fine." Then, out of nowhere, inspiration struck him, the perfect lead into the conversation that he had been waiting weeks to have.  
  
"Actually," he added, pausing beside the staircase. "I really missed you."  
  
Kel's blush was all the reward that he need, a crimson flush that spread across her cheeks. She looked down as if to steady herself, then met his gaze. "I missed you too. A lot." she added.  
  
Dom could no longer restrain himself; fireworks seemed to explode in the corners of his vision. Sliding a hand under her hair to cradle her neck, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Everything around him, any and all concerns seemed to dissolve instantly as he felt her, not pull away in shock, but tentatively, then warmly, kiss him back.  
  
Dom's last idea before he abandoned coherent thought was that he and Kel had finally broken the last barrier between them. Finally, after their long dance of flirtation and friendship, they were truly together.  
  
~~~ 


	12. Epilogue

~~~

Epilogue

~~~

"Neal said you'd be up here."

Kel climbed up the last rungs of the ladder and joined her sergeant atop the thatched roof of one of New Hope's new cottages. Though being back at the camp after Lord Raoul's wedding had left the lady knight with plenty of work to do, she had stolen away from the refugees to spend a little time with Dom. 

"So I actually have something to thank the Meathead for," was Dom's rejoinder. He moved closer to her on the roof so that he could put his arm around her. Having him touch her so familiarly was still somewhat of a shock after a few weeks of courtship, but certainly not an unpleasant or unwelcome one. 

Working up the nerve to reciprocate such displays of affection proved far more difficult for her. However, they were all but out of sight here atop the roof. Hesitantly, she rested her head on his shoulder. The sun warmed her face pleasantly. "Remind me why we waited so long to do this?" she asked, snuggling closer. 

"I'd rather not." He stroked her arm. "We were stupid, that's all."

"Hey," she said teasingly. "Speak for yourself, all right?"

She knew that he was raising his eyebrows. "My dearest Protector of the Small, surely you're not implying that I am stupid?"

A laugh escaped her. "You should have been a Player, Dom."

"Ah, but then I would never have met you." His voice was as warm as the sunlight.

Shifting slightly, she replied, "Good point."

"Or maybe I would have been part of a group of traveling players," suggested Dom. "And when you were a famous knight, our company would have come to perform for you in Tortall. And we would have fallen madly in love with each other at first sight . . ."

"And run away together to live a penniless miserable existence for the rest of our lives," Kel finished. "But that wouldn't have mattered because of our profound love for each other, right?"

"Kel, Kel." Dom shook his head. "You aren't a bit romantic."

She tilted her head up to face him, smiling. "Yes, I am," she said and pressed her lips to his. He kissed her back, his hand moving up to trace her chin and then push the hair back from her neck. After she finally drew away, he wore a thoughtful expression. "I might need more proof."

She shook her head and leaned up to kiss him again. When he opened his mouth to speak, she silenced him with a look. "Don't push your luck."

"Look who's talking," Dom retorted. "Pushing your luck has always worked for you."

Resettling herself against his shoulder, Kel grinned. The two were silent for some time, simply looking out over the unusually quiet afternoon at New Haven. 

The lady knight finally broke the stillness by shifting slightly against him. 

"What is it?" Dom asked absently.

"Nothing." She shifted again. "Just thinking."

Dom slid his hand underneath her hair, rubbing her neck and distracting her somewhat. "Just thinking about what?"

"Oh, you know," she said evasively.

"No, I don't." His laughter was evident in his voice. 

"Well," He felt her shrug. "Just thinking about what . . . what we are now."

The words hung in the air between them, too late to retract them or laugh them off. 

"Kel, you know that men of the Own aren't allowed to marry," he said at last. 

She pulled away from him so she could look into his face, and he could read her surprise, as well as embarrassment. "Dom, that's not what I was thinking about at all-" she exclaimed softly.

"Oh," he teased. "So you don't want to marry me, then?"

She was blushing. "Well, no- I mean, yes, maybe, in the future- but not now . . ." She trailed off in confusion. 

Dom laughed. "Oh, Kel." He took her face in his hands. "We're just us," he said seriously. "Is that all right?"

She smiled at him. "Us. I could definitely get used to that."

"I certainly hope so," Dom grinned back. 

~~~

El Fin 

~~~

**Thanks**: To all who reviewed. I know this has been said before, but it can't be said enough. Feedback is ambrosia to a writer. Cookies for all of you! Also, warmest thanks to both my loverly beta-readers, Jude and Hikki, who are fantabulous and patient with me. They both deserve a Dom of their very own. And to all those at WLD, for spreading the Dom love. Check us out; .

**Author's Note: **There will be no sequel to this fic, though I've had a tremendous time writing it. I will, however, be writing a myriad more K/D fics, so just watch this profile. I might even write a fanfic in which Dom _was_ a Player, etc. : - )

Hot Chocolate and Dom-love go out to you all. May the Force be with you. 


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